Environmentalists on Thursday sued the Fish and Wildlife Service over allegedly missing Endangered Species Act decision deadlines for 11 Florida plants and animals, highlighting a vulnerability for the agency that could worsen as the Trump administration slashes the federal workforce.
Citing “extinction-level threats from habitat-destroying development and sea-level rise,” the Center for Biological Diversity sued to press for action on species ranging from the Florida Keys mole skink and the the rim rock crowned snake to a variety of plants such as the Everglades bully.
“These rare creatures called Florida home eons before Trump and his minions were born, and they need strong endangered species protections now if they’re going to survive,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the environmental group, adding that “we can’t allow the Trump administration to further delay lifesaving protections by cutting off conservation funding and firing the public servants committed to ensuring a future for our wildlife and wild places.”
The organization is being represented by the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson University College of Law.
